Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer a bipartisan amendment in support of the Small Business Administration's ScaleUp program. Like many of you, one of my favorite things to do when I am back home is to visit local businesses, businesses like Beech Tree Woodworks in Olympia, which just invested in some amazing new cutting-edge machinery; or Zoe Juice Bar in Olympia, which opened with just four employees not that long ago, and they now have more than a dozen, and they are still growing.

These businesses have all expanded with the help of SBA's ScaleUp program. ScaleUp is a program that gives small businesses the tools they need to become not so small anymore. It works within existing community networks to provide the education and technical assistance and access to capital that small businesses need to grow.

I include in the Record an article from my hometown newspaper which discusses the positive impact ScaleUp has had on our community.

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SBA currently plans to phase out this program at the end of this fiscal year--in other words, in 17 more days. After hearing from so many people whom it has benefited, I felt compelled to offer this amendment which will provide the funding to continue ScaleUp for another year.

ScaleUp communities can be found at every corner of America: in Texas, Pennsylvania, Florida, Maine, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Arizona. I thank my friend from Arizona, Ms.
McSally, for working with me on this bipartisan effort.

Mr. Chairman, we are in a tough budget environment. I get that. But that makes it all the more important that we focus on programs that have been proven to be a good investment, programs like ScaleUp.

Mr. Chair, I urge the adoption of this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. Chairman, the fact of the matter is that our constituents were only informed 5 short weeks ago that ScaleUp was ending in 2 months. This amendment is the only recourse available given that very short timeframe, and because evidence-based measures of ScaleUp performance are all very positive, none of us had any reason to believe that the program would not continue, and the announcement came as a complete surprise to all of us.

The fact of the matter is, I don't agree with the decision of the Small Business Administration, and it is our job as a function of our oversight and check and balance responsibility to pursue our disagreement, as it were, because their decision flies in the face of the evidence.

I would argue that the appropriation process exists so that Congress can exercise this independent oversight of the spending priorities of the executive branch and assert itself in exactly this sort of a circumstance.
Mr. Chair, I would dearly love to work with the chair of the Small Business Committee on legislation to specifically authorize the ScaleUp program, but that is a longer term issue. This program will end at the end of this month if we don't act now, taking away a very valuable program that is working--evidence, metrics, measurable. It is getting the job done.

Why wouldn't we pass this amendment, it is fully offset, there is no increased spending here, and have the existing program continue while we work on a more permanent solution.

Mr. Chair, with all due respect, I would urge my colleagues to support this amendment in the name of helping small businesses grow.

Two out of every three jobs created in America are created by small businesses. This program, ScaleUp, has been proven to work. There is not one shred of evidence that has been offered here today to suggest it isn't doing the job for which it was intended to do.

Please, support this amendment, support small businesses, support your check and balance responsibility, support the creation of jobs.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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